Rocker arms shim help please

[ncsr20det]

Long story short i trusted someone with the head to my s13 redtop. When it was placed back in my hands the rockerarm shims and and keepers( sloted ones) were handed to me in a bag...yeah..... Is there anyway to calculae which shims go ontop of the right valves without using the special tool that people have made? Also can someone please tell me what the clearence should be on the intake and exaust cams between the rocker arms and the flat side of the cam when the engine is cold? Ive looked on here and in the FSM and cant find what the clearence should be. Any help would be much appreciated. :bash:

[aNskY]

If you are still on HLA's you dont need to worry about ra/cam clearance. Just need the tool to set the shim heights the same per rocker arm (yes you need the tool) you can make one with like $20 in parts from harbor freight and a spare hla http://forums2.freshalloy.com/showthread.php?t=175360

[ncsr20det]

well i dont know if i can use the tool right....anyway theres got to be a way to do it without the tool. Not everyone has the tool or makes it

[aNskY]

nope.

sure you can measure the shims with feeler guages or a mic.. but how are you going to measure your valve heights?

there is another tool, thats basically a flat plate with holes in it that bolts to where the cam caps bolt, that you put a dial gauge in and sort of eye out the center of the shim. i feel like this one is less accurate...

either way you are going to end up buying, fabricating, or renting a tool.

or just fuck it and throw 'em in wherever lol.

[ncsr20det]

well i read the thread on how to make the tool and i tried it alittle today. The Problem is the measurement im getting doesnt match any of the shims that i have. To make sure im using it right heres how i did it. I zero the dial gauge on the valve that would take the shim then picked up on the needle of the gauge and set it down and the keeper shim that is the constant. As far as i know thats the way to do it.